Data storage systems are arrangements of hardware and software that include storage processors coupled to arrays of non-volatile storage devices, such as magnetic disk drives, electronic flash drives, and/or optical drives, for example. The storage processors service storage requests, arriving from host machines (“hosts”), which specify files or other data elements to be written, read, created, deleted, and so forth. Software running on the storage processors manages incoming storage requests and performs various data processing tasks to organize and secure the data elements stored on the non-volatile storage devices.
Virtual machines execute dynamically on hosts running hypervisors to provide high availability and scalability to cloud-based services. These virtual machines often make use of logical volumes that are stored in backend data storage systems. One platform for virtual machines is vSphere provided by VMware, Inc. based in Palo Alto, Calif. This platform provides for Virtual Volumes (VVols), which may be deployed on data storage systems and accessed by hosts. Performance of these VVols can be viewed and visualized for the convenience of system administrators. In addition, VVols are available in two varieties: file-based VVols, which are accessed using file-based protocols, and block-based VVols, which are accessed using block-based protocols.